The Blue Mountains.

Our second day in Australia was spent on a tour of the Blue Mountains.  I asked several people before we left for any ‘must sees’ and this one was on the top of everyone’s list.  Thank god for that because, honestly, I had never heard of them and probably wouldn’t have known to go. 

We started off the tour at Flat Rock, continued on to Wentworth Falls, stopped for lunch in a quaint little town called Leura, went to the Three Sisters, saw an ancient aborigine engraving, stopped by Sydney Olympic Park, and finished the day with champagne on an evening cruise of the Sydney Harbour.  Not a bad way to spend the day. 

One of the coolest things about the tour was going around and picking up everyone in the morning.  We were the first group so we could meet people as they were getting on the bus.  We had a group of 20 from around the world – Russia, France, South Korea, Canada, United States, and Australia.  It was a mixed bag of people - some traveling alone, some traveling with friends, some young, some old - but what united us all was this love of travel and discovery and the desire to see and experience our world.  Something about it just gave me this warm, fuzzy feeling.  It was that or the champagne ;)      

However, the best part of our trip was meeting Glenn, our tour guide.  He had so much information on what we were seeing and kept us entertained the entire day.  We used his Aussie catch phrases throughout the rest of our trip (true story, true story).  If you are ever in Sydney, take the Blue Mountain tour through Oz Trails – you won’t be disappointed.  Don’t forget to ask for Glenn, a true Outbacker!

Here was our day in the Blue Mountains.    

Flat Rock.

This was as close as Sarah could get to the edge :)

Wentworth Falls

The Three Sisters.

Glenn!

Discovering Australia.

I’m back from paradise; paradise being Australia.  All the clichés apply – a trip of a lifetime, too beautiful for words, a dream come true, and every other overused phrase that describes something unbelievable.  I traveled with three friends for 10 days in the land down under.  We spent four days in Sydney, one day in Brisbane, and five days in the Gold Coast.  The best part was that we met up with our spouses in Brisbane and were able to have a week’s vacation with them. 

We did it all – held koalas, swam in the Coral Sea, fed kangaroos, saw the Sydney Opera House, met the locals, and even more.  I’m sure you can imagine that I got ridiculous amounts of pictures and there is probably no need to tell you what the next couple of blog posts are going to be about. 

Let me start at the beginning.  Our first day was spent walking around central city of Sydney.  We saw the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, the Rocks, Saint Mary’s Cathedral, and the Sydney Tower. 

Ready to go up in the Sydney Tower!

View from the Tower

Discovering...

This is what is happening right now.  I am packing for a trip.  I can’t say exactly where I am going, but I can say that I have been wanting to go here my entire life and I am still in disbelief that it is happening. 

I can’t wait to share pictures and stories from the trip.  And now back to fitting all of this into a suitcase that can only weigh 50 lbs.

Someone wants to come with me...

Discovering Kyoto.

A couple of weeks ago Matt and I snuck off for the weekend to Kyoto, Japan.  We hopped on the Shinkansen (bullet train) and headed south.  Kyoto is a beautiful historic city that was Japan’s capital and the emperor’s residence from 794 until 1868.  It is home to the Nijo Castle, Nishiki Market, Kyoto Imperial Palace, and countless shrines and temples.

We rented bikes and discovered the city through its back roads, restaurants, hidden alleys, quiet cafes, and friendly people who couldn’t wait to share their city with us.

Here is what we found...

The Kamo River - where you can see the backs of restaurants from Pontocho.  Pontocho is a narrow alley with a wide range of restaurants.  The area is lit by traditional paper lanterns and is known for their tea houses and geisha.  And, apparently, a reservation is needed in most restaurants!  

 The Fushimi Inari Shrine - home to thousands of torii gates.

 The Kiyomizudera Temple - known for wooden terrace.

These students asked us for help in practicing their English.  Very, very cute!

Lunch time!

The Heian Shrine.

The Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion), a Zen temple.

The Nishiki Market, known as "Kyoto's Kitchen".  

The Nijo Castle.  This was one of the best places that we saw in Kyoto.  It was home to the first shogun of the Edo Period.  It is grounds to a castle and beautiful gardens.  The entire complex is surrounded by multiple defense systems - including gates, walls, and moats.  

This was such an amazing weekend and I would recommend it to anyone traveling in Japan.  It is a far cry from the craziness of Tokyo, but has its own charm and is worth the trip.

Until next time, love (and cheers) from Japan!

*All of my information was taken from Japan Guide (the ultimate way to get around in Japan!)